Generating oil-gas.



-P. H. BATES.

GENERATING OIL GAS. APPLIOAT'ION FILED JAN. 7, 1 909. RENEWED MAY 4, 1912.

1,046,542. Patented Dec; 10,1912.

4 SHEETSSHEET l jllvruay 11H. BATES.

V GENERATING OIL GAS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7, 1909. RENEWED MAY 4, 1912.

Patented Dec. 10, 19 12.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

J/Zhzaaaes.

I. H. BATES.

GENERATING OIL GAS. 7 APPLICATION JAN- 7, 1909. RENEWED MAY 4, 1912.

1,046,542.- I Pgt ntedDec. 10,1912.'

4 SHEETS-MEET a.

P. H. BATES.

GENERATING OIL GAS. v APILIOATIO-N FILED JAN. 7, 1909. RENEWED MAY4 1912. 1,04 ,542, Patented Den.10,1912.

iii w a FRANK H. BATES, 0F ELYRIA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 PLANT ENGINEERING CO., A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. January 7, 1909, Serial'No. 471,066. Renewed May 4, 1912. Serial No. 695,317.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. Burs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elyria, county of Lorain, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Generating Oil-Gas, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention bemg herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

The object of the present invention is the provision of means for economically using petroleum, either crude or partially refined, as a source of power, by generating oil gas therefrom, which gas is utilized in a suitable explosive engine.

Such invention has more particularly in view, the provision of a unitary plant for deriving power fromiuel of the character described, wherein shall be included in compact and convenient form, the several apparatuses required in connection with such utilization of the fuel.

A further. object is to so relate and connect these apparatuses as to render such utilization economical to a marked degree.

To the accomplishment of these androlated ends, said invention, then, consistsof the means and steps hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out iii the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail certain means and modes of carrying out the invention, such disclosed means and modes illustrating, however, but several oft-the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed'drawings: Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively illustrate diverse arrangements of apparatus exemplifying, in-

their operation, my improved process or method of generating oil gas; and Fig. 5 shows a detail of the ap a'ratus of Fig. 4.

The diversity referre to as existing in the several forms of illustrated apparatus resides among other things in the difi'erent form of generator proper, that I show in eachconnection.-

In the case of the first three figures such generators, and the specific methods of oil gas generation proper, exemplified therein,

respectively form the ubject matter of separate co pending applications, Serial Nos.

claimed as a part of the present invention.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

In other words, it is to the general arrangc- 4 ment of these generators, whatever their specific form, or mode of operation, when taken in conjunction with the other parts of the plant, to which attention is herein desired as constituting such present invention. It will be necessary, however, in order to explain the correlation of such different parts, that the construction and mode of operation of the generators, as Well as of the other parts, be described in more or less detail. The three typical plants illustrated in the several figures above described, will 'accordingly be taken up and considered, in their order.

In Fig. 1, then, the oil gas generating apparatus comprises a plurality of generators, three, as shown, preferably of the receptacle type, wherein may be maintained a certain body of oil at all times. Each generator comprises an outer shell a, and an inner shell a, the former affording between its inner side and the outer side of the inner shell, a

passage for the heating medium, and the.

heating-medium thus formed in the respective generators are connected in series in theline provided for conducting the heated waste gases, or exhaust, from the engine D by means of pipes a a a the. amount of such heated ases thus employed being regulated by suitable adjustment of the valve 03 in the direct exhaust discharge pipe (1' from the engine.

The oil for use in the generators, which as has been indicated, will generally be crude petroleum, is conveniently kept in a reservoir'A', from which itis supplied to the tirst of the seriesof generators A through a supply line a by means of a pump a, such oil being thence conducted serially through the inner chambers of the respective generators in a direction opposite to that in which the waste gases are conduct ed from the engine. To this end connecting pipes A formed with loops are provided between the generators, by means whereof a predetermined level of oil may be maintained in the chamber-next preceding the same, such loops having air ventsa to {aventsiphonic action. Stop "ah-es a and check valves a are also provided in the connections .in question, the use of whichflarly adapted to drain either of the other generators should .such last one of the series he cut out.

The vapors arising from the several generators A are conducted throughout pipes 3a, and a common line A wherewith the latter are connected, to a retort or super heater E, which may be of any suitable form, but which is shown as consisting of two chambers e 6 one above'the other, through which the 'vapor. in question is adapted to beserially passed, thence being conducted by a. pipe e? to the explosion engine D previously referred to as providing the heating medium for the several gen erators. While it is contemplated that such retort may be heated by any suitable form of furnace, employing any of the usual fuels, in my preferred arrangement, I propose to employ an oil burner E, wherein is used as fuel the oil drained from the last of the i series of generators A, such oil being supplied to the burner by means of a pump 0 from the -reservoir A into which it is collected.

v The operation of the power plant as thus described, should be fairly obvious.,--By means of the arrangement of generators A and connections for supplying oil thereto from reservoir A, it will be seen that the oil will pass in succession through suclrgen- I erators whatever their number, encounten:

ing successively higher temperatures, ,so

that the oil finally discharged from the last of their series will be deprived of all its more volatile constituents,these being con ducted and intermingled in the common line 1 them, so that when admitted finally to the A leading to the superheater E. Here they are subjected to such a temperature as to fix engine D .a gas suitable in every way for use in forming an explosive mixture for the latter 1s provided. At the same time that the volatile constituents of the original body of oil are being thus utilized, the

- heavier o-il remaining over from the last of the series of generators, is conducted as needed to the burner E, wherew1th retort E is heated, so that none of the constituents are wasted; By means of the various connections letween the reservoir A and the several gcneratorsA, a'salso between the latter and the fresh fuel supply line a one' or more of the generators may be temporarily out out of servicewithout interfering with the operation of the plant as a whole.

It will of coursebe understood that a suitable correlation will be had between the rate of fuel supply and the degree of impoverishment finally arrived at in the treatment of the oil in the generators, so as to leave over approximately a suflicient amount of superheater. Obviously, then, such arrangement of apparatus provides for maximum economy in the utilization of fuels'of the classin hand. 4

In thesecond typical installation illustrated in Fig. 2, I employ, ashas been indicated, a different construction of generator (here designated'B), such construction differing from the one shown in the previously described installation,' in that the heating medium is here'conducted through an inner drum 6, the oil body, from which the vapor is generated, lying in the chamber 6 surrounding ,such drum. The level, moreover, of oil in such chamber, is maintained by means of a unique construction of overflow B, connected, I one with each generator B, and adapted to be supplied with oil by means of a corresponding pump Z2 from either of two reservoirs B B Connections, Zfiare provided for returning to the particular reservoir from which the oil thus happens t-o be drawn, the

excess from the overflow, as also connections I) for similarly returning .the excess bypassed from the pumps 6 and not admitted to the overflowat all, as'will be readily understood.

The exhaust gases from engine D are utilized as before as the heating medium, being conducted through the respective inner heating" drums b of the generators B by means of ,a branched pipe 6 leading .from the engine; -Similarly the.va pors arising from the oil chambers b otthe respective generators are collected and conducted through ,a line B to a retort or s'uperheatcr E, be-

fore being admitted to the engine. In this case, however, I do not propose to rely wholly onthe suction of the engine, to thus draw the vapors from the Y generators through the connecting lines and the retort, but interpose between the generators and such retort a compressor and pump F; of familiar design, whereby gas may be sup plied to the engine without'imposing any burden upon the latter, and whereby such gas may even be" supplied under pressure, if '.so desired, the compressor being controlled orgoverned in the latter case by such pressure in the usual manner.

In this'plant again, the impoverished oil is designed to be utilized as the fuel for the burner E- beneath the retort E, such 1mpoverished oil being "supplied thereto by a pump e as before, from one .or the other heavier oil for use in the burner below the reaches of the reservoirs B? B depending upon the particular manner in which the generators B are being supplied therefrom; for, as should be explained, the arrangeinent'of connections between the generators admits of variousmethods of using the latter. Thus,

either generator, with the corresponding the cruder product is used, there would, of

course, "be certain constituents less readily volatilizable than others, which constituents would be conducted to the reservoir not in use, and thence supplied to the burner as required in the same'fashion as in the previously described arrangement of apparatus.

hen emp 'iying the cruder oils, however, for which the apparatusin hand is more particularly designed, it is contemplated that both generators will be simultaneously supplied with oil, the one with fresh or unimpoverished oil, and the other with oil from which the more volatile constituents have been removed by previous operation in the other generator, such grades of fuel being respectively stored in the two reservoirs and supplied to the generators at a rate such as to maintaina circulation of the oil body and a gradual continuance'of their impoverishment. At the same time that the generators are being thus supplied the necessary fuel for the burner beneath the superheater will be withdrawn from the reservoir containing the impoverished residuum, which can, as before, be economically utilized in this fashion. By the time that such residuum has been disposed oi, the first reservoir will have reached the stage of impoverishment rendering it necessary to have a fresh body of oil in order to keep up the richness of the mixture supplied to the engine through the several intervening apparatuses. Fresh oil is accordingly now put in the second reservoir, and connection with the oil burner switched from such second to the first reservoir, which will now contain the more nearly exhausted fuel body.

In the arrangement of apparatus illustrated in Fig. 3, a simpler form of generator than either of those previously illustrated is shown, such generator comprising, in fact, a single unit (here designated C) of the hind appearing in Fig. 1. Oil-is supplied thereto from a reservoir C by a pump c and feed line as before, preferably'being circulated at a rate such as only gradually to impoverish the relatively large body contained in such reservoir. As such impoverishment proceeds, the degree of heat applied to the generator will be correspondingly increased by suitably controlling the valve d in the'direct exhaust opening dot the engine that furnishes such heating medium to the generator. When, finally the limit of economical impoverishment has been reached, the residual body of oil in reservoir C is transferred to a second reservoir C and a fresh body of oil placed in the first, permitting a repetition'of the generator operation just described. From such second reservoir the oil is supplied to the burner E under retort E as before, whither the vapors rising from the generator are conducted by a line C to be superheated and fixed. In the present instance, I propose to locate the compressor and pump F,'by which the gases are forced through the system, on the farther side of such retort, and instead of supplying the gas therefrom directly to the engine, a holder G of any suitable form is interposed in the linef leading therefrom, and the gas then taken as desired to the engine by another line 9. While this use of the holder is particularly appropriate in connection with the type of generator shown, the operation of such generator being of necessity, intermittent or discontinuous, it will of course be understood that such a holder may be, if desired, utilized in connection with either of the other arran ements of apparatus. So, too, the inclusion or omission of the compressor F is determined by the requirements of each particular installation. Quite irrespective, however, of any variation in these or other details of the plant, it should be obvious that thecooperative effect-of the generator, engine, and superheater, especially where the latter is supplied with fuel in the manner hereinbe- I tore described, is the avoidance of waste and the conservation of energy.-;at every point. The economy thus secureddit is contemplated, will render the use of liquid fuels of the character in hand, not only more desirable in localities where such fuel .is' at present employed, but also feasible in situations that have not as yet been exploited.

Fig. 4:, in addition to showing yet another form of generator H,- illustrates also another disposition of the pump and compressor F, namely before the generator in the series of mechanisms that constitute the plant. Generator H consists of a chamber separated by an inclined partition 72, (see Fig. 5) into two chambers it if. The oil is supplied to the generator from a reservoir H by a pump k and pipe b as usual, being received in the generator on the corrugated plate or partition in down which it flows in a more or less attenuated stream to the outlet pipe ]P. As the oil thus passes over plate 7t, the exhaust from engine D is passed through the lower chamber 7& and simultaneously therewith air, in. predetermined quantity, is forced through the upperchamber 72 by compressor. F. Such air, charged With the vapors arising from the oil, is thence conducted by line H tothe retortE and finally to the engine; The retort, by way of variation, is shown as being heated by an ordinary furnace E instead of anoil burner, it being intended that the oil shall be reduced to a practically worthless residuum by the generator. v

' It has already been observed that my improved systemof oil-gas generation, as it may with propriety be termed, is suscep- 'tiblejofvarious modifications to meet the de- .mands of different installations, as for example the ValltltlOll shown in the location of the compressor and pump F, the omission or inclusion of the holder G and the form of vaporizer or generator, proper, that is employed.

Similar flexibility obtains in other particulars such as the use of tar extractors and gas purifiers, which may be ineluded at a uitable point in the gas line from the superheatcr .to the engine. It will be understood, furthermore, that in speaking'of retort E as a superheater it is not intended to indicate that the Vapors passed therethrough are of necessity all rendered afixed gas, or in-other Words, that the vaporized liquid hydro-carbons are cracked into other, permanently gaseous, hydro-carbons, Such treatment may be necessary or desirable Where the engine is located at a distance, or where the gas requires to be stored for a considerable period of time, but it is contemplated that more often only an approximation of this condition will be desired. In this event a lower temperature -in the retort will suffice. The term superheater is intended, accordingly, to refer to any suitable heating meansinterposedip the line betweenv the vaporizer and engine to joined with vapor line A,

plying air, unmixed with vapor, directly to i 'the retort, whereby any such depos t may be oxidized and thus expeditiously cleared away, The means provided for thus supplying air to the retort may take on various forms in thediifercnt types of apparatus hereinbefore' described. In that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, an auxiliary air inlet pipe a (or C as the case may be) just previously to the entrance of the latter into the retort, f constitutes the means in question. Valvesle and a (or 0'') in such inlet pipe and line, respectively,

afford the necessary control for shutting off the one supply when the other is open. It

some circumstances an admixture of,a.irwith thevapor previously to the passage of the latter through the retort may be desired.

In such event valve 0' willbe always left partly open. This will not be necessary,

Where, as in Fig 2, air-inlet openings Z) are formed in the generators themselves. Here, moreover, I employ a double-acting compressor F, and so am enabled to utilize one cylinder of the same for forcing airinto the retort by the inlet-pipe c, which connects with the vapor lineB just as with line A or C In Fig. 4, on the other hand,

air may be-supplied to the retortin any desired q-uantityalong with the vapor, or exclusively when it becomes desirableto clean out the retort in the fashion just described, suitable valves h, 71. it being adapted thus variously to control the discharge from the compressor.v

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regardsthe means and the steps herein dis-.

will be understood, however, that under closed, provided those stated by any one of the following claims or their equivalents be employed. i

' I therefore particularly point out and dis- .tinctly claim as my 1nvention:-

l. Inapparatus for producing gas from oil, the combination of an explosive engine, an oil gas generator connected to be heated by the exhaust from said engine, av line for conducting the vaporfrom said generator to said engine, a superheater interposed in such line, and means for-utilizing the impoverished oil from said generator to heat said superhcater. I

2. In apparatus for producing gas from oil, the combination ofan explosive engine, an oil gas generator connected to be heated by the exhaust from-said engine, a line for conducting the vapor from said generator to said engine, a super-heater inter- 1 posed in such line, an oil burner for heating saidsuperheater, means for supplying Oll to said generator, and means for suppying the oil, after passing through the-latttr, to said burner.

3. In apparatus for producing gas from oil, the combination of an explosive engine, an oil gas generator connected to be heated by theexhaust from said engine, a line for conducting theva-por from said generator to said engine, a superheater interposed in such line, an oil burner for heating said supcr heater a reservoir for 011, means for maintaining a circulation ofthe body of oil in said, reservoir through said vapor generator until the mass. becomes too in'ipoverished'to yield vapor of the required richness, and.

means for supplying the resldual body of oil to said'burner.

4. In apparatus forproducing gas from oil, the'combination of an explosive engine, an oil. gas generator connected to be heated by the exhaust fromsaid engine a line for conducting the vapor from said generator to said engine, a super-heater interposed in such line, an oil burner for heating said superheater, two reservoirs 'for oil, means for maintaining a circulation of the body of oil in either of said reservoirs through said vapor generator until the mass becomes too impoverished to yield vapors oi the required richness, and means for supplying the residual body of oil thus left inv either reservoir to said burner.

5. In apparatus for producing gas from oil, the combination of an explosive engin'e, an oil gas generator connected to be heated by the exhaust from said engine, a line for conducting the vapor from said generator to said engine, a superheater interposed 1n such line, andmeans for inducing a circusaid engine, a superheater interposed in such line, and a pump and compressor for induc- 1ng a circulatlon ofvapor through said generator and superheater independently of said engine. I

7. In apparatus for producing gas from oil, the combination of an explosive engine, an oil gas generator connected to be heated by the exhaust from said engine, a line for conducting the vapor from said generator to said engine, a su-perheater interposed in such line, and 'means for cutting off said generator from said superheater and supplying air to the latter.

8. In apparatus for producing gas from oil, the combination of an explosive engine, an oil gas generator connected to be heated by the exhaust from said engine, a line for conducting the vapor from said generator.

to said engine, a superheater interposed in such line, and a pump and compressor for inducing a circulation of vapor throughv said generator and superheater independently of said engine, said pump and compressor being also adapted to supply air, unmixed with vapor, to said superheater.

- Signed by me this 23rd day of December, 1908.

v FRANK H. BATES.

At-tested by- MARY GLADWELL, V J NQ. F. OBERLIN.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

